Flexible shaft coupling



P. M. GRIFFIN 2,333,858

FLEXIBLE SHAFT COUPLING Filed March 6, 1943 //vv/v TOR Percy /Z Griff??? 47- TOR/V5) Patented Nov. 9, 1943 Percy Alban .solidated Car-Heatingy, assignor-to Con- I I T *oonipany me, Albany," v

NIY}, acorpoiation of New iYork" I V I ADplicaLtion'MM'HG, 1943; Seria1N0.'478,312

5 cl ims.

My invention relates to flexibleshaftcouplin s and particularly but noteXclusively-to couplings of the type disclosed in Erdrnan Patent" N0".

2,261,901. l H y In practice when jointsfof'this type are used to connect two angularly disposed shafts the coupling, or at least one of the halves thereof, is"

firmly secured in position by meansof a wan or'floor bracket. One type of bracket now em ployed engages ,oneiof the half- -housings about the exteriorportion thereof which forms a bear ing for one of the shafts. Another type of bracket which has been suggested is'co'nnected to the coupling by the pins which pivotally connect the two half-hgusings together, When thesepivot pins are removed the housings are separated, and hence, where it is necessaryfto retrieve a bracket or toshift it fromone side of'the'lcoupling'to the other, the coupling must be taken apart. In joints of this type the gear elements areusu'ally cast and therefore lack the precision'ofgear elements which are machined. -F 'or this reason in assembling the couplingsit is frequently neces-; sary to try two or more teethor,-gear elements in mesh before a free running assembly is iattainedr 'I-Iencawhen the coupling is taken apart in the field to secure a bracket thereto, -01; to replace or shift a bracket, the chance; that the free runningarrangementof the meshing ele ments, as originally assembledpwill be main- ,tained is quite remote, and the coupling. frequently, if not usually,, runs hard or binds completely. Furthermore, any twisting or tilting strain which is applied to the pivot pins through the bracket, as is frequently the case where in installing the coupling the brackets are welded to a wall or floor support, the gear elements are thrown out of proper alignment and therefore do not move freely.

With these difiiculties in mind one of the objects of my invention is to provide a flexible shaft coupling with a bracket secured thereto in' such a way that it may be removed and replaced on the opposite side of the coupling, or otherwise, without the necessity of taking the coupling apart. Another object is to provide a bracket through which no stress can be applied to the coupling which will disturb the free-running meshing of the gear elements as originally matched and assembled. A'further object is to provide a combination coupling and bracket assembly which will provide a wide range of relative movement between the bracket and coupling to facilitate the anchoring of the coupling under various conditions encountered in the installation thereof l l With these objects in view my'invention resides in the nov'el combination and arrangement of elemerits described below and illustratedin theiac companying drawing in whichj 7 Fig-l is aplan viewof my flexible coupling and bracket arrangement with certainj portions bro; ken away to shoWinnerdetails 'ofcdnstructio'n;' =Fig. Zi'fli side elevation-view of theass'eni'bly; Fig/3 is a-plan vie'w of one'type of pin'which may 'be *us'e'd to connect the bracket to the coup e; Fig.4 is aside elevationviw'of the 'pin sho'vvn in Fig.3; A

Fig; 5 is a fragmentaiy plan 'view; sin'iilarto-a portion of Fig.1, but j'witlifpa s-brokenawayto illustrate an optionaltype 6f ping anc Fig. 6 is "a fragment 'ry' pl"-n- ;viw" sirnilar to Fig; 5 showing a second, optional}type ofpin;

Inthdiawih-g 'I have illustrated only-ofietype of flexible coupling towhich ndy invention may be applied but fit is -to-be=understood that While such-joints'may differ in their detail's of construdtion they all 'cdrnprise 'twdhalf -housings containing 1 the cocperanng gear elements *and which "are 'pivotally connected {so that relative rfioven'ient- Of the' half-housings abdut the axis of their connection is"permitte'd while the gear elements are maintained"inprtfper cooperativerela men.- The-type of coupimg illustratedis the well known ball type A and ccmpr is'cs half -hous'ing's' I and 2 which are'pivotally connect by pins: and 4 so that they are relatively-*mevable ab out the common axis of the pins through an angle of at least The half-housings l and 2 are provided with extensions 5 and 6 respectively which form bearings for theshafts 1 and 8 respectively. Within each half-housing is a gear element 9 which is keyed to the shaft associated with the half-housing in which the gear element is enclosed. In the particular type of joint used for the purpose of illustration the gear elements are alike and each comprises a disc l0 having a front face II which is provided with circumferentially arranged hemispherical projections I2 alternating with depressions iii of a modified hemispherical shape. Thus, when the shafts to which the gears are secured are in alignment with each other, all of the projections on either of the gear elements are received in the depressions of the other element and there is no relative movement clutch. However, by disposing the pivot pins 3 and 4 on a. common axis passing through the common center of one of the interfittlng hemispherical depressions and projections, the shaft 1, which is shown at right angles to shaft 8 in Fig. 1, may be moved about ,the axis of the pivot pins until it is in alignment with shaft 8, or vice versa.

According to the present practice, in installing a coupling at least one of the half-housings is firmly anchored in correct position by means of a bracket; (not shown) which is clamped around either the portion 5 of the half-housing I or the portion 6 of the half-housing 2 and is bolted or otherwise secured to a wall, ceiling or floor. Such a bracket provides only a limited latitude of arrangement with respect to the 'coupling'because it is clamped in fixed relation thereto. In order to provide a bracket having a greater latitude of arrangement I propose to employ a U-shaped element I 4 which will embrace one of the halfhousings and ,be pivotally secured thereto by means of the pivot screws I5. As illustrated in Fig. 1, aligned threaded openings I6 are provided adjacent the ends of the U and the threaded pivot screws I5 which cooperate with these threaded holes have extensions I! which are received in blind holes I8 in'the half-housing I; the pivot screws being locked by the washers I 9.

Thus the bracket I4 when installed as illustrated in solid lines in Figs. 1 and 2 may be swungabout the axis of the screws I5 until it hits either one of the shafts. If it is more convenient in making the installation to have the bracket on the otherside of the coupling the pivot screws I5 may be simply removed and the bracket-replaced in the position I I, shown in the dotted outline in Fig. 2, and the screws replaced.

With pivot screws of the type just described the bracket is not tightly clamped in fixed relation to the coupling and relative oscillatory movement of the bracket and coupling about the axis of the pivot screws ifs-permitted. However, by using screws 20 of the type shown in Fig. '5 the'bracket and coupling may be clamped tightly together. Here the end portions of the screws are threaded, as shown at 2 I, and cooperate with threaded opening in the housing I instead of with'threaded openings in the bracket. The portions 22 of the screws 20 which are positioned within the bracket are not threaded and thus, by tightening the screws 20, the bracket maybe clampedv in fixed, adjusted relation to the coupling. a

In Fig. 6 I have shown another type of pivot screw 24, which is provided with an enlarged portion 25 having a running fit in the bracket I. Here, the end of the screw is threaded, as shown at 26, and cooperates with a threaded opening in I housing I in a manner similar to the screw shown in Fig. 5. The shoulder, 21, abuts the housing I and the distance between the shou1- der and the head of the screw is slightly greater than the combined thickness of the washer and the leg of the bracket I4 to permitrelative oscil latory movement of the bracket and housing when the shoulder abuts the housing.

In order to facilitate bolting the bracket to a wall or floor fixture holes 23 are provided in the base of the U.

What I claim is: e

1. The combination with a flexible shaft coupling comprising two half-housings and means pivotally connecting said half-housings together, of a bracket therefor and means separate from said first mentioned means for pivotally connecting-said bracket to one of said half-housings.

- ,2. The combination with a flexible shaft cou pling comprising two half-housings and means pivotally connecting said half-housings together, of a bracket therefore and means separate from said firstmentionedmeans for pivotally connecting said-bracket to one of said half-housings; the pivotal axesofsaid connecting means being parallel. v w 7' 3; The combination with a flexibleshaft coupling comprisinggtwo half-housings and means pivotally connecting said half-housingstogethr, I

of a bracket thereforand means separate from said first mentioned means for pivotally connecting said bracket to one of said half-housings; the r pivotalaxes of said connecting means being parallel and closely adjacent. v 4. The combination with a flexible shaft couplingjcomprisiing two half-housings and means pivotallyconnecting said half-housings.together, of a U-shaped bracket embracing one. of said half-housingsand meansseparate from said first mentioned means for pivotally connecting said I bracket to said half-housing.

- 5. The combinationwith a flexible shaft coupling comprising two half-housings and means pivotally connecting said half-housings together, of a bracket therefor and means separate from the first mentioned means for pivotally connect ing said bracket to one of said half-housings and for clamping said bracket in-adjusted relation to said coupling.

. Y PERCY M. GRIFFIN. 

